Kurt Cobain and Seattle in the '90s: Then and now

By VANESSA HO, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Published 4:45 pm, Sunday, April 6, 2014

Photo: File/Getty

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In honor of Nirvana's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death, here's a trip back to the '90s in Seattle, when music was loud, hair was stringy, and everyone thought Seattle was cool.

In honor of Nirvana's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death, here's a trip back to the '90s in Seattle, when music was loud, hair was stringy, and ... more

Photo: File/Getty

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Twenty years after Kurt Cobain killed himself this month, Nirvana will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 10, 2014. This photo is from Nirvana's last performance in Seattle, during the band's In Utero show at Seattle Center Arena on Jan. 7, 1994.

Twenty years after Kurt Cobain killed himself this month, Nirvana will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 10, 2014. This photo is from Nirvana's last performance in Seattle, during the ... more

Dave Grohl (L) and Krist Novoselic on Jan. 31, 2013, at the premiere of "Sound City" in Hollywood, California.

Dave Grohl (L) and Krist Novoselic on Jan. 31, 2013, at the premiere of "Sound City" in Hollywood, California.

Photo: Kevin Winter, Getty Images

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Eddie Vedder, left, and Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam play an intimate show at the Off Ramp in Seattle on Feb. 26, 1991. The Off Ramp was a subterranean-feeling punk club in the shadow of the I-5 overpass in Eastlake.

Eddie Vedder, left, and Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam play an intimate show at the Off Ramp in Seattle on Feb. 26, 1991. The Off Ramp was a subterranean-feeling punk club in the shadow of the I-5 overpass in ... more

Photo: Alison Braun/Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images

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The '90s saw the launch of Lollapalooza, with grunge dominating the tour in 1992, a year after it began. Pearl Jam and Soundgarden were on the bill that year; pictured is Eddie Vedder at Lollapalooza in St. Paul.

The '90s saw the launch of Lollapalooza, with grunge dominating the tour in 1992, a year after it began. Pearl Jam and Soundgarden were on the bill that year; pictured is Eddie Vedder at Lollapalooza in St. ... more

Photo: Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images

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Eddie Vedder, on Jan. 17, 2014, at the Big Day Out Festival in Auckland, New Zealand.

Eddie Vedder, on Jan. 17, 2014, at the Big Day Out Festival in Auckland, New Zealand.

Photo: Jason Oxenham, Getty Images

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Eddie Vedder with daughter Harper Vedder at a school benefit in Mountain View, Calif. on Oct. 20, 2012.

Eddie Vedder with daughter Harper Vedder at a school benefit in Mountain View, Calif. on Oct. 20, 2012.

Photo: Tim Mosenfelder, Getty Images

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Chris Cornell of Soundgarden does some sweaty hair-whipping in 1991 during a show in Los Angeles.

Chris Cornell of Soundgarden does some sweaty hair-whipping in 1991 during a show in Los Angeles.

Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Getty Images

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Soundgarden's Chris Cornell dives into the stage during a 1991 show in Los Angeles.

Soundgarden's Chris Cornell dives into the stage during a 1991 show in Los Angeles.

Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Getty Images

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Chris Cornell on Jan. 17, 2014, with his daughter at a Knicks game in Madison Square Garden.

Chris Cornell on Jan. 17, 2014, with his daughter at a Knicks game in Madison Square Garden.

Photo: James Devaney/WireImage, Getty Images

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Frances Bean Cobain, daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, center, is pictured in 1993. To the right is Sinead O'Connor.

Frances Bean Cobain, daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, center, is pictured in 1993. To the right is Sinead O'Connor.

Photo: Kevin Mazur, Getty Images

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Frances Bean Cobain in 2008, at the premiere of "Twilight" in Los Angeles.

Frances Bean Cobain in 2008, at the premiere of "Twilight" in Los Angeles.

Frances Bean Cobain, right, and Tallulah Belle Willis pose at a Teen Vogue young Hollywood party on Sept. 20, 2007 in Los Angeles.

Frances Bean Cobain, right, and Tallulah Belle Willis pose at a Teen Vogue young Hollywood party on Sept. 20, 2007 in Los Angeles.

Photo: Jean-Paul Aussenard, Getty Images

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Frances Bean Cobain has grown up in the shadow of a famous father long gone and with a mother who likes the spotlight. Courtney Love, left, and Cobain attend an "American Idol" finale in 2005.

Frances Bean Cobain has grown up in the shadow of a famous father long gone and with a mother who likes the spotlight. Courtney Love, left, and Cobain attend an "American Idol" finale in 2005.

Photo: SGranitz, Getty Images

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This 2007 photo is one of the last photos in Getty's collection of Frances Bean Cobain, left, and mother Courtney Love together.

This 2007 photo is one of the last photos in Getty's collection of Frances Bean Cobain, left, and mother Courtney Love together.

Photo: SGranitz, Getty Images

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Courtney Love toured Lollapalooza in 1995 with her band Hole, a year after husband Kurt Cobain died.

Courtney Love toured Lollapalooza in 1995 with her band Hole, a year after husband Kurt Cobain died.

Photo: PAUL JOSEPH BROWN, P-I File

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Courtney Love on Feb. 23, 2014, at the International Press Academy Satellite Awards in Los Angeles.

Courtney Love on Feb. 23, 2014, at the International Press Academy Satellite Awards in Los Angeles.

Photo: Rodrigo Vaz, Getty Images

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Courtney Love, Aug. 13, 2013 in New York City.

Courtney Love, Aug. 13, 2013 in New York City.

Photo: Andrew H. Walker, Getty Images

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One mainstay of Seattle's '90s? Endfest.

KNDD (107.7 FM) began the alternative-rock music festivals in 1991, pictured in the middle photo. It was a big summer blast, with acts like the Beastie Boys and Smashing Pumpkins, until the last Endfest in 2009. This montage is from a 2006 exhibit of skateboard designs and photos by Seattle photographer Charles Peterson. Eddie Vedder is on the left board; Kurt Cobain is on the right.

KNDD (107.7 FM) began the alternative-rock music festivals in 1991, pictured in the middle photo. It was a big summer blast, with acts like the Beastie Boys and Smashing ... more

Photo: GILBERT W. ARIAS, P-I File

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Seattle's Sir Mix-A-Lot released his monster hit, "Baby Got Back" in 1992. Before grunge, he said, musicians left town for success and didn't brag about Seattle. (But the rapper did boast of his "Posse of Broadway" in the 80s).

"Seattle was weird," Mix said recently. "When a guy like Quincy Jones made it, he would leave. That was Seattle's weakness; it didn't have a culture. Or it did, but it seemed to be ashamed. Every city has their icons, and we had Ivar Haglund. Our icon was a fisherman. Not that there's anything wrong with that."

Seattle's Sir Mix-A-Lot released his monster hit, "Baby Got Back" in 1992. Before grunge, he said, musicians left town for success and didn't brag about Seattle. (But the rapper did boast of his "Posse of ... more

Seattle's Mudhoney was an influential punk and rock band in the '80s, and one of the first to sign with Sub Pop.

"The first U.S. tour that Mudhoney did, we were happy to make $100 a show," singer Mark Arm said recently. "We were sleeping on people's floors, so it was a different thing then. And at the time, we never really thought there was something to be gained from this. We were doing this for kicks."

During the grunge heyday, Seattle was known for some very hairy bands. Here's Soundgarden in full hirsute glory in 1989.

During the grunge heyday, Seattle was known for some very hairy bands. Here's Soundgarden in full hirsute glory in 1989.

Photo: Ebet Roberts/Redferns, Getty Images

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Pearl Jam, 1992, in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Pearl Jam, 1992, in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Photo: Paul Bergen, Getty Images

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Alice in Chains, 1990, at Gas Works Park. This was the band's first official photo session.

Alice in Chains, 1990, at Gas Works Park. This was the band's first official photo session.

Photo: Annamaria DiSanto/WireImage, Getty Images

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Layne Staley sings with Alice in Chains at the Off Ramp in Seattle, Feb. 4, 1991. Staley died of a drug overdose in 2002.

Layne Staley sings with Alice in Chains at the Off Ramp in Seattle, Feb. 4, 1991. Staley died of a drug overdose in 2002.

Photo: Alison Braun/Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images

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Krist Novoselic and Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear play at Pier 28 in Seattle in the early '90s, during an "MTV Live and Loud" show.

Krist Novoselic and Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear play at Pier 28 in Seattle in the early '90s, during an "MTV Live and Loud" show.

Photo: Jeff Kravitz, Getty Images

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From left to right, Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl and Pat Smear pose at the Grammy awards on Jan. 26, 2014 in Los Angeles. Smear toured with Nirvana in its last year and is now with the Foo Fighters with Grohl.

From left to right, Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl and Pat Smear pose at the Grammy awards on Jan. 26, 2014 in Los Angeles. Smear toured with Nirvana in its last year and is now with the Foo Fighters with Grohl.

Photo: Jeff Vespa/WireImage, Getty Images

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"Singles," a movie love letter to Seattle and grunge by Cameron Crowe, came out in 1992. It was one of several movies and shows set in Seattle in the '90s.

"Singles," a movie love letter to Seattle and grunge by Cameron Crowe, came out in 1992. It was one of several movies and shows set in Seattle in the '90s.

Photo: Warner Bros.

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"Sleepless in Seattle," released in 1993, cast the city as a charming, romantic backdrop, with the Athenian Inn, Virginia Inn, and a Lake Union houseboat making appearances.

"Sleepless in Seattle," released in 1993, cast the city as a charming, romantic backdrop, with the Athenian Inn, Virginia Inn, and a Lake Union houseboat making appearances.

Photo: TriStar Pictures

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"Frasier," on TV from 1993 to 2004, made Seattle seem urbane and sophisticated.

"Frasier," on TV from 1993 to 2004, made Seattle seem urbane and sophisticated.

Photo: Andrew Eccles/NBC Universal, Getty Images

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Tad was one of first bands up to sign with Sub Pop in the late '80s. The band toured with Nirvana in 1988.

"Fame and fortune was never in our mind. With Tad, it was about making the ugliest, most crushing music we could think of," said Tad Doyle, right, recently. He's pictured in an early promo photo, with the inescapable grunge uniform.

Cobain's memorial on April 10, 1994 attracted both fans and music luminaries, including R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, second from left, and his then-wife and former Crocodile Cafe owner, Stephanie Dorgan, left. Photo: Copyright MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer collection, 2000.107_19940410_0160.

Cobain's memorial on April 10, 1994 attracted both fans and music luminaries, including R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, second from left, and his then-wife and former Crocodile Cafe owner, Stephanie Dorgan, left. Photo: ... more

Seattle's '90s hipness prompted MTV to bring some drama to the city, with "The Real World: Seattle" in 1998.

The cast of the "The Real World: Seattle" is pictured: From top to bottom, left to right: Nathan ... more

Photo: JIMMY MALECKI, P-I File

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Seattle in the late '90s saw the dot-com bubble, with lavish parties, 20-something millionaires and "irrational exuberance," the phrase of the day. It led to the collapse of technology stocks, sending Seattle start-ups like HomeGrocer.com to the grave.

Seattle in the late '90s saw the dot-com bubble, with lavish parties, 20-something millionaires and "irrational exuberance," the phrase of the day. It led to the collapse of technology stocks, sending Seattle ... more

Photo: P-I File

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Another dot-com bubble victim from Seattle's '90s: MyLackey.com, whose billboard once hung high in Belltown.

Another dot-com bubble victim from Seattle's '90s: MyLackey.com, whose billboard once hung high in Belltown.

Photo: P-I File

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The online company that didn't die in the tech crash? Amazon, of course. Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos was Time magazine's "Person of the Year" in 1999.

The online company that didn't die in the tech crash? Amazon, of course. Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos was Time magazine's "Person of the Year" in 1999.

Photo: P-I File

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The millennium saw Eddie Vedder protesting Seattle's restrictive Teen Dance Ordinance, which virtually banned teens from seeing concerts outside of school. A more relaxed law replaced the ordinance in 2002. Pictured is Vedder looking the way most people look at Seattle City Council hearings.

The millennium saw Eddie Vedder protesting Seattle's restrictive Teen Dance Ordinance, which virtually banned teens from seeing concerts outside of school. A more relaxed law replaced the ordinance in 2002. ... more

Photo: GILBERT W. ARIAS, P-I File

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Grunge still inspires fashion, including this recent Forever 21 collection called "Seattle 90's."

Grunge still inspires fashion, including this recent Forever 21 collection called "Seattle 90's."

Photo: Cyrus McCrimmon/Denver Post, Getty Images

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Nirvana, pictured in 1991, will be inducted into the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 10, 2014, at the Barclays Center in New York.

Nirvana, pictured in 1991, will be inducted into the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 10, 2014, at the Barclays Center in New York.

Photo: CHRIS CUFFARO, Getty

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This worn bench is Seattle's only public memorial to Kurt Cobain. It is in Viretta Park near where Cobain died in his house along Lake Washington.

This worn bench is Seattle's only public memorial to Kurt Cobain. It is in Viretta Park near where Cobain died in his house along Lake Washington.

Photo: Joshua Trujillo/seattlepi.com

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When his fans held up him: Kurt Cobain plays a Nirvana concert in Vancouver, B.C. in 1991. Seattle photographer Charles Peterson took this photo. Peterson's electric photos of mosh pits, stage divers and bleeding guitars are among the best chronicles of Seattle's grunge and punk movement.

When his fans held up him: Kurt Cobain plays a Nirvana concert in Vancouver, B.C. in 1991. Seattle photographer Charles Peterson took this photo. Peterson's electric photos of mosh pits, stage divers and ... more

Photo: Charles Peterson, P-I File

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Jonathan Poneman, right, and Bruce Pavitt, left, are pictured in the early days of the Seattle music label, which introduced Nirvana to the world.

Jonathan Poneman, right, and Bruce Pavitt, left, are pictured in the early days of the Seattle music label, which introduced Nirvana to the world.

Photo: CHARLES PETERSON, P-I File

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The album that destroyed the old guard: Nirvana's Nevermind, which came out on Sept. 24, 1991.

By 1992, it was the No. 1 album on the Billboard chart, knocking Michael Jackson's Dangerous off the throne. More than 30 million copies of Nevermind have been sold.

The album that destroyed the old guard: Nirvana's Nevermind, which came out on Sept. 24, 1991.

By 1992, it was the No. 1 album on the Billboard chart, knocking Michael Jackson's Dangerous off the throne. More ... more

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Kurt Cobain.

Kurt Cobain.

Photo: Michel Linssen, Getty

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Kurt Cobain and Seattle in the '90s: Then and now

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The generation he spoke for has become gray and middle-aged. The city he transformed with raw punk now gleams with tech empires and condos.

Twenty years after his death, Kurt Cobain's musical legacy is absolute, a feat to hail this week at Nirvana's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

His imprint on Seattle is harder to see. The city that spawned him has no official memorial to its fallen son, no park or street named in his honor. Only a worn bench serves as tribute. The city's only recent nod to Cobain's death anniversary was the release of police photos of his suicide scene, 20 years ago this Tuesday.

It was a somber contrast to the Nirvana fanfare about to happen at the Hall of Fame ceremony in Brooklyn, NY on Thursday.

In today's Seattle of techies and foodies, what legacy exists of the early '90s?

Apparently, a lot.

Seattle's old image: 'Donkey riders'

"In the '80s, no one outside of Seattle knew what was happening here," recalled Mark Arm, of the seminal punk and grunge bands, Green River and Mudhoney. "No one gave a shit."

Before grunge, Seattle was like an uptight lumberjack who didn't like to dance. The city had a restrictive law that virtually banned teens from seeing shows. Bands on tour didn't stop in Seattle, and bands from Seattle left town to make it.

"I remember people saying, 'How did you ever hear rap music in Seattle?'" said Seattle's Sir Mix-A-Lot, whose monster hit, "Baby Got Back," came out in 1992. "They thought we're still riding horses up here."

Seattle's image back in the day? He put it like this: "Podunk, bass ackwards donkey riders."

When Nirvana released "Nevermind" in 1991 and Pearl Jam put out "Ten" the same year, Seattle began to look a lot less dowdy. Locals saw their flannel shirts on runways, the Space Needle in magazines, their coffee habit imitated worldwide. Jet City's glam-over continued in 1993, with "Sleepless in Seattle" and "Frasier."

"No one had any idea how profound the wake (Nirvana) would leave, and how they would dramatically change the face of music," said longtime Seattle musician Tad Doyle, who toured with Nirvana in 1988.

Seattle tourists: We want to see the grunge

In the years since Cobain died, Seattle has grown into a thriving metropolis for music, tourists and brainy people who build software, kill malaria and deliver Amazon's packages faster.

Seattle is now one of the most educated cities in the country, with more than 55 percent of adults who have a Bachelor's degree or higher. That's a big jump from when only 39 percent of people had a college degree in 1990, according to Census figures.

"We had a huge influx of young people and culture in the wake after grunge," Cross said. "Filmmakers, dancers, musicians and creative types moved here partially because Seattle became a hip city after the music scene." He included tech workers in that mix.

Tourism has ballooned into a multi-billion dollar industry, with more 10 million overnight visitors in Seattle in 2012.

"Seattle really impacted American lifestyle in the '90s, and travelers still remember that," said David Blandford, spokesman for Visit Seattle, the city's convention and visitor's bureau.

Some tourists think grunge is still around. "They're still very intrigued," Blandford said. "They would like to find some place where grunge still manifests itself."

That's getting harder to do. Clubs that hosted legendary punk and grunge shows – the Vogue, Ditto Tavern, the Off Ramp - are mostly gone. The storied Crocodile Café in Belltown is no longer the heart of local music.

Grunge's legacy: 'Not too big of an ego'

But grunge gave birth to a city in love with music. The mid-'90s saw Vedder and Novoselic fighting Seattle's restrictive teen dance (and concert) ordinance, paving the way for things like the Vera Project, an all-ages music venue.

There's now a city office that promotes music and film. There's the EMP Museum and Sea-Tac airport playing local music. There's Neumos and the Tractor Tavern for shows, and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis bragging about Seattle in a way previous generations might not have done.

"If there never was the grunge explosion, we wouldn't be in the place today where we have such a healthy music scene," said Jacob McMurray, EMP Museum's senior curator, who put together the museum's exhibit on Nirvana.

McMurray sees a link between punk's stripped-down DIY attitude and Seattle's artisan culture of "crazy, inventive people" who make micro-brews, farm-to-table dishes and other eco-friendly, hand-crafted things. "It might be stretch," he said.

But he said Cobain's come-as-you-are ethos still echoes. Cobain was one of a few musicians who supported gay rights in his time, appearing on the cover of the Advocate in 1993, Cross said. Nearly 20 years later, gay marriage was legalized in Washington.

Cobain's depression, addiction and demise helped fuel a certain local awareness of mental illness, if not open the floodgates for health funding. He was like his fans, struggles and all.

"There was a humbleness that resonated with people," McMurray said. "I do think there's an attitude in the Northwest of kind of checking yourself, and not getting too big of an ego."

Seattle ambivalence for Cobain

In his brief time, Cobain raised Seattle's status, but Seattle seems ambivalent in return. Officially, that is. Fans are a different story; an estimated 7,000 of them crowded into Seattle Center on April 10, 1994 to grieve after Cobain killed himself with a shotgun.

New York has Central Park's Strawberry Fields for John Lennon. Seattle has streets named after activist Roberto Maestas and retired Mariner Edgar Martinez (who's still alive). It has a park in Jimi Hendrix's name.

All Cobain has is a graffiti'd bench, an unmarked, unsanctioned memorial in Viretta Park near the Denny-Blaine house where he died. Cobain maybe wouldn't have cared, and his fans still come. But Cross, the music journalist, thinks it says something about Seattle.

"It took 40 years for the city to finally officially create something to honor Hendrix, but just months for a street to be named after a retired but living sports player," he said.

"That says much about Seattle leaders and officials need to wake up to that fact that the arts are one of the most important aspects of Seattle's legacy and history, and they should be honored."

Once upon a time: 'Potbelly guys at Dick's'

Unlike the grunge pioneers of the '90s, today's twenty-somethings have never known a Seattle without swagger. (Northwest swagger, that is, where you don't jaywalk or honk too loudly).

"They see Seattle as always being cool and hip, a bunch of slicksters and hipsters," Mix-A-Lot said, of young people like the Seattle musician Ayron Jones he's producing.

"I'm like, 'No,'" he said. "In my day, you'd walk down Broadway, and there was pinball up at Arnold's, and next to us, potbelly guys in suspenders eating Dick's burgers."